Reflecting on 2020 at the Thrift Store

Like so many reading this, our Thrift Store family could never have imagined all that 2020 would bring. From purchasing our new building and all the planning, blood, sweat, and tears that went into moving from our Broad Street location, to the challenges of COVID, the addition of so many wonderful new staff and volunteers, and the constant desire to keep pushing the boundaries on how we can provide assistance to the needy in the CSRA and beyond … it’s been a crazy year.

As we look back and reflect on 2020, we thought we’d share with you some of our favorite moments.

January 2020: The Search for a New Building is Over

After almost two years of searching, we finally found a building that would be suitable for the new Thrift Store location. Spearheaded by Jerry and Sharon Baine (there are not enough ‘thanks’ in the world), we would officially make an offer on the purchase of our new Wrightsboro Road location as the year began. Thank you to the team at Jordan Trotter Commercial Real Estate for their help in this transaction.

Jerry and Sharon Baine at the new building

February 2020: We Went Digital

Towards the end of February, we went digital — launching our new website (that you’re on right now) and our Facebook and Instagram pages. At first, this was just an effort to help communicate our pending store move with shoppers and donors but it quickly grew into a vibrant community! Today, we have more than 2,200 people following our journey online and it has allowed us to spread our message and our mission to more people in the CSRA and beyond.

We’d love it if you’d start following along — if you’re not already!

March 2020: The Building is Ours

In March, it was official — we took possession of our new building and the renovation and build-out of the new store could begin. With Jerry and Sharon managing the project, Philomena got to plan every single square foot and how it would best be used. After 30-years of running the Thrift Store in leased spaces, you can imagine how exciting this was for Philomena and the team. RW Allen worked their magic to transform the space.

Philomena Mooney, Store Manager — with the keys to the new building

May 2020: We Announced Our New Store and Started the Move

How exciting it was to finally share the news of our new building with our Thrift Store family. After years of looking for a new building and all the ins and outs of closing the real estate transaction — we were finally able to spread the great news! Here’s a copy of the press release we sent out to the local media.

Of course, the announcement of our new building meant it was time to start clearing out the Broad Street store. Our volunteers and staff worked tirelessly to pack up the existing store — all while managing and sorting new donations. We shared some progress photos here.

Cleaning out the old Broad Street location

As you can imagine, this had us running down memory lane — so we shared with you the history of the Thrift Store on our blog.

June 2020: We Give a Shirt

In June we were so fortunate to be included in the We Give a Shirt campaign — a local effort by Showpony and Wier/Stewart to give back to local small businesses and charities impacted by COVID-19. People near and far were able to purchase a t-shirt, with proceeds benefiting the business/charity. In total, the effort raised over $250,000 and we were thrilled with the response to our shirt, which raised just over $700. Here’s a look at the design.

Our team wearing our We Give a Shirt t-shirt

July 2020: The New Store is Open

After weeks of packing and moving — and months of renovation and construction — it was finally time to open the doors to our new Wrightsboro Road location! Prior to opening, we held a small, private ceremony where local clergy came and blessed the new space.

Volunteers and Staff at the blessing

On July 6th, we officially opened to the public. We had a wonderful opening ceremony and hit the ground running. In fact, opening day was one of our most successful in the history of the Thrift Store! It was so nice to see so many familiar faces — including generations of shoppers bringing their children and grandchildren to see the new store!

Ribbon cutting on opening day

The Southern Cross and WJBF also had lovely write-ups about the grand opening.

August 2020: The Vera Bradley Sale

Earlier in the year, we were blessed with a large donation of Vera Bradley items and decided to run a sale in our Boutique. We had a fun time promoting the sale on our Facebook page, and on the day of the sale — there were shoppers lined up waiting to get into the store. It was a fun day for Thrift Store volunteers/staff and shoppers alike. Here are some photos from the event.

Shoppers enjoying the Vera Bradley sale

This would be the first of several “themed” sales we would do throughout 2020.

October 2020: A Food Drive and a Blessing

In the Fall, we were happy to plan a Children’s Food Drive, as Sr. Janet needed more children’s food items for the Catholic Social Services main office. We publicized the drive on our Facebook page and were overwhelmed with the response. Not only did we have individual donations from shoppers, but we also received several large donations from local businesses and supporters of the Thrift Store.

Later in October, we were blessed to have a visit from Bishop Parkes, as he took the time to tour the store and give it his blessing. It was a wonderful feeling to have him in the store and to share with him our mission.

Bishop Parkes blesses the new building

November 2020: A Tee-Rific Golf Sale

With the Master’s Golf Tournament moved to November due to COVID, we decided it would be fun to throw a huge golf sale. We were able to save all of the recent golf donations and put together a nice array of items for shoppers. From Master’s memorabilia and clothing to golf apparel, home decor, and more — it was a huge hit. And, yet again, we had shoppers lining up outside that morning just waiting to get a glimpse of the merchandise.

One of our new store employees, Brittany, was instrumental in the marketing of this sale — with her photos being a huge driver on our Facebook page. Here are some of those photos.

December 2020: Customer Appreciation Day

What better way to finish off an amazing year than to throw a Customer Appreciation Day in December? After all, none of this would be possible without our amazing customers!

On December 5th, we had a “parking lot party” that included free hot dogs and drinks, a free Thrift Store tote bag with purchase, live music by Leron James, an all-day sidewalk sale, raffles, prizes, and more. Special ‘thank you’ to our sponsors for the event: The Sports Center, C&C Automotive, and the Knights of Columbus.

It was unlike any other event we had ever planned and was the perfect ending to a truly unbelievable year.

Here are a few photos from that day:

What an Incredible Year

It’s hard to believe all the wonderful blessings that happened this year! As we look back, we are reminded of how truly grateful we are for our Thrift Store community — shoppers, donors, volunteers, staff, and family — you all make this possible!

We’re closed for the remainder of the year but look forward to seeing you all again when we open on January 4th.